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Tulsi Gabbard, a BDS supporter, who is wrong about everything relating to the State of Israel, is against the sanctions that America is employing against Russia. On this issue, she may have a point. She does not want to have the United States and Russia involved in a fast escalating situation which could lead to major bloodshed and perhaps even Nuclear War. She may be overstating the threats. But, historically, small border skirmishes do sometimes escalate as she is warning. Additionally, the economic ramifications of President Biden canceling the Russia – Germany pipeline would have major economic fallout in a way that every American and European would see their cost of living drastically impacted. So too, Russians would feel the squeeze. World economic hardship can create a volatile situation. Gabbard envisions that this will snowball and could actually have drastic consequences.
The Ukraine is not a newcomer to being a hot spot in the war between the West and the East. It has been a major flash point in both World War I and World War II. Gabbard basically proposes that the United States back down and make it clear to Russia that the Ukraine will not join NATO in the next few decades. That would insure that Russia would be able to declare a victory without more than a minimal artillery shelling around the border. And, practically, the West would be able to avert a costly war for Ukraine, Russia, and whomever would be dragged into the fray.
One can argue convincingly that it is time to move on from the Cold-War era concern of Russia being the main strategic concern of the United States and the West. It is a reasonable argument to say that the main concern of the West should be that China and Russia do not begin to cooperate with each other in attempts at dominating large swaths of the world. Russia has nuclear weapons, but they are nowhere as powerful as the United States, and their influence worldwide has not been growing over the last few decades. China has a far weaker army, but China’s financial situation is extremely powerful and growing exponentially. More importantly, China’s tentacles are indeed growing rapidly across the world through their road and belt initiative. And of course, China has the most valuable of all resources – manpower.
Sometimes, non-engagement in one theater is indeed the right thing to do in order to engage what would indeed be a greater threat to world stability – China and Russia joining forces. Ukraine should not be handed over to Russia, but it should not become the next flashpoint that leads to a NATO-led battle with Russia. A diplomatic solution should be worked out that allows Russia to declare victory via more influence over Ukraine. The line should be clear. Poland – not Ukraine. But Ukraine, an independent country since 1991, is actually not fully independent. Russians know it. People in Ukraine know it, and so do all of the other European nations. They have only been semi-independent of Russia. The line of containment with Russian expansionism should be Poland to the West and China to the South. Western countries should use the Russian threat to leverage against Russia and China joining forces towards world domination. It is time for some hard-nosed Kissinger-like diplomacy. But who is there today that has the will to lead that kind of diplomacy?
